Obama Admin. Releases Stockpile of Antiflu Virus Drug

[GinaMaria]

Source: ABC News

Obama Admin. Releases Stockpile of Antiflu Virus Drug: Tamiflu Has Shown to Be Effective Against Swine Flu. The Obama administration was "all hands on deck" today in response to the quickly escalating swine flu outbreak, with the declaration of a public health emergency and the release of the national antiflu drug stockpile. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared a national public health emergency, with swine flu now confirmed in at least 20 cases in five states. However, she said, the outbreak has not yet threatened to reach the lethal level it has in Mexico. That declaration gives the head of the Department of Health and Human Services authority to take rapid measures -- including authorizing contacts and mobilizing the national disaster system -- to respond to the disease, including allowing the use of unapproved drugs. The agency currently is waiting for President Obama's designee, Kathleen Sebelius, to be approved by the Senate http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFluNews/story?id=7434061&page=1

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFluNews/story?id=7434061&page=1

[BlooInBloo]

1. "Government is the problem".

No, fuckers - the flu is the problem.

[mike_c]

2. this is probably premature, IMO...

Sounds like a political decision rather than a public health decision. There have not been nearly enough cases to overwhelm local pharmacy and hospital supplies, so it's hard to imagine any reason for doing this other than 1) it's pure politics, an attempt to appear to be doing something, or 2) CDC and WHO expect things to get much worse very quickly, overwhelming anti-viral stockpiles rapidly. Since there isn't any real reason to suspect the second possibility yet, I'm going with number one.

[jaxx]

3. People tend to panic, so let them get the shots and go home happy.

If he held them back they'd gripe about that too.

[Ian David]

4. It's all a trick so he can take your guns!

You get the shot, and the next morning, you wake up and all your guns are gone!

Instead, you find a couple of shovels and some tree saplings with planting instructions.

[jaxx]

6. LMAO I don't have any guns.

Trees I can do. ;-)

[Ian David]

7. You only THINK you didn't have any guns. Obama made you forget you had them.

And if you're hiding Mack Davis in your closet, he'll shoot you with a gun that makes you forget about chrisTmas, too.

[mike_c]

5. tamiflu isn't used as a prophylactic....

It's used to treat actual infections beginning as early as possible after the onset of symptoms. This gov't response is largely preparatory-- not a bad thing, necessarily, but it DOES deplete the stocks on hand. That could be a good thing if it gets anti-virals out in front of a rapidly moving pandemic, or a bad thing if the timing is too premature.

[truthisfreedom]

8. I'm worried that our reserves will be used up and THEN a really bad flu will hit.

I'm just sayin'.

[mike_c]

10. yup, that's my concern too....

It's worth remembering, too, that it's the end of April. I'm beginning to wonder whether the CDC is more worried than we're hearing.

[Robb]

21. Only a partial release

FTA, 25% of the stockpile "released," or 12.5 million courses.

[caseymoz]

34. From where? Bird flu doesn't respond to Tamiflu.

[Mojorabbit]

47. Yes it does in most countries

Indonesia throws a tamiflu blanket over every village that has cases. They are doing it right now in a village that has ten suspect cases. If people there get it in time they are more likely to survive. They usually don't though and by the time they are treated it is too late. Vietnam has some strains that are tamiflu resistant. It is still working in Egypt which has a mild strain that appeared around a year ago.

[Baby Snooks]

12. And shouldn't be used as a prophylactic...

That's why it's by prescription only. It has to be taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms although some doctors believe after 24 hours it's useless. Of course it's useless anyway to a population that has no health insurance and no money to buy it.

Only the strong survive? In pandemics, only the rich survive. The poor are just culled - by Mother Nature but also by our society which of course doesn't want to provide adequate health care to the poor.

The stocks will be depleted with the rich running to the doctor's offices this week to get their prescriptions which of course will be placed on the "on order" lists at the pharmacy.

If it's that serious, shut down the way Mexico did instead of allowing it to continue to spread. That's what's wrong with the response here. And with the Obama Administration. The rich can get Tamiflu. The poor can drop dead. But they sure as hell better show up at work tomorrow and their kids sure as hell better be in school tomorrow.

WHO says it can't be contained? Mexico apparently IS containing it. The United States seems intent on making sure it isn't contained.

[razors edge]

29. We would be better off

getting it injected now,before it reaches the end of its shelf life.

This is the stuff Donald Rumsfeld came up with isn't it?

If so, I just want to say, I always trust the Rumsfeld name, just like Campbells soup to me.

[mike_c]

31. Rumsfeld didn't "come up" with tamiflu....

He's an investor in Roche, if I'm not mistaken.

[SoCalDemGrrl]

45. I'm not an expert, but Tamiflu is an oral medication -not a shot-also it is

effective against this swine flu if administered within 48 hours of the first symptoms.

Also I understand that the incubation time between exposure and symptoms is approx. 9 days.

[Mojorabbit]

48. Tamiflu is pills in a blister pack of ten. nt

[depakid]

11. Politics play a part, but it's also a useful exercise- call it a dry run

If a particularly virulent pandemic does occur (and this of course has been a possibility since H5N1 emerged) then having gone through the process and coordinated the various procedures and agencies will prove to be very valuable experience.

[caseymoz]

37. These are released to public health centers and hospitals, who evaluate the symptoms.

Or to doctors. It isn't like they're putting the supplies directly in the hands of panicked citizens, or in aisle three of the drug store shelves. Those supplies have the same expiration date whether they're at the CDC or a public health clinic. I'm just happy that they have them ready, and even if it's not as bad as it looks, they'll still have most of them.

[Mojorabbit]

46. The WHO is meeting at 4pm Geneva time today

perhaps they are going to raise us to phase 4? According to their own definitions we should be at phase 5
"Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region"
I doubt they will as the economic ramifications will be great and so far the virus has a mild course of symptoms outside of Mexico.

[dipsydoodle]

9. Antiflu virus drugs had no effect in Mexico

regardless of dosage according to Mexican doctors interviewed by the BBC - was on our TV news earlier today. The patients simply died.

[jody]

13. Don't bother with facts when people are in the throes of mass hysteria. Never waste a good crisis.

[caseymoz]

35. You know, the one thing that never helps in panic? Sarcasm.

:sarcasm:

[mike_c]

14. that's not consistent with what I've heard....

I'm hearing that anti-virals do work against this strain. Perhaps the Mexican stockpiles were old or they weren't administered soon enough?

Anyway, that's a disturbing report. Here is the CDC's current advisory:

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/recommendations.htm

This swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is sensitive (susceptible) to the neuraminidase inhibitor antiviral medications zanamivir and oseltamivir. It is resistant to the adamantane antiviral medications amantadine and rimantadine.

Seasonal influenza A and B viruses continue to circulate at low levels in the U.S. and in Mexico. Currently circulating human influenza A (H1N1) viruses are resistant to oseltamivir and sensitive (susceptible) to zanamivir, amantadine and rimantadine. Currently circulating human influenza A (H3N2) viruses are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, but sensitive (susceptible) to oseltamivir and zanamivir. Therefore, at this time antiviral treatment recommendations for suspected cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection need to consider potential infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) virus as well as human influenza viruses, and their different antiviral susceptibilities.

more@link

[caseymoz]

36. Yes, I heard that too.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[depakid]

16. That's not what I read on the BBC

Interview with: Alan Johnson, MP, Secretary of State for Health

ALAN JOHNSON: The World Health Organization says that the UK and France are the two best prepared countries in the world and we have about half a million pounds of the anti viral, which has worked in Mexico.

The good news from Mexico is that given anti virals like Tamiflu early enough, the people who get this recover. We've got a whole range of measures in place.

The thing that has to happen now is the World Health Organization must look and analyse this and give the analysis that shows whether there is a propensity for to spread but I think there's always a good public health message, which is people shouldn't cough over other people, they should ensure that if they do feel ill, they stay at home.

If they've got flu like systems, they stay at home, they don't go to their GP, they call NHS Direct, 0845 46 47, and I think their basic message is that we'd use for any type of flu.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/politics_show/8014270.stm

[dipsydoodle]

17. That was just a chat show this morning GMT +1 / BST

I was talking about this afternoon's BBC 24 live TV news.

[depakid]

19. Could be, like snooks noted- the patients weren't treated during the window period

within which the medication's effective.

[goclark]

18. thanks for the infomation - K and R

[robinlynne]

20. Nt what was reported on the news here. They said matter of factly tamiflu cures it. period.

Might be that they did not know what it was yet when it first hit.

[Control-Z]

22. I heard that reported

early Friday and actually got a little scolding for saying as much, but I think the confusion was about flu vaccination vs. flu treatment. I thought tamiflu was the vac. and not a treatment. While there are no effective preventative treatments/vaccination, tamiflu does treat swine flu once contracted.

[robinlynne]

23. exactly.

[caseymoz]

38. That isn't what I heard. I wonder if those particular doctors didn't adminisered it on time.

With Tamiflu, late doesn't count, it doesn't matter how much more you add.

[diva77]

24. is this vaccine being provided by Gilead, the company Rumsfeld chaired '97-'01?

[bluesmail]

30. Wondering that also. Gilead. Gilead Gilead Gilead

[caseymoz]

44. Just another example rats advancing medical science. . .

. . . and they do that occasionally.

[onethatcares]

25. so we're gonna get the symptoms and race to the doctors?

this doesn't make any sense. It takes 2 weeks to get in to see my doctor on a good day and I'm sure I'll be right on top of his list to be taken care of.

[quidam56]

26. You know there's going to be a lot of parents and kids in the ER

Flu is bad, just hope no one picks up MRSA, ER'S are breeding grounds. In East Tennessee, profit care comes ahead of patient care. We can't figure out how kids are getting MRSA ( Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aurea's ) The health care system is dumping it on us and calling it "acceptable standards of health care" http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 We need a cure for health care in America.

[caseymoz]

42. Actually, if they could stop the secondary bacterial pneumonia, they'll lower the flu's deathrate.

Your right, overcrowded emergency rooms are the perfect place to spread those very things. They are not good places in an epidemic. Your kid might not have the flu, but he if not, he might just catch at the emergency room from somebody who has it-- plus some bacteria to cause pneumonia. I could see exactly this happening. I hope some public health officials are on their toes enough to stop it, and I guess they could issue masks and gloves to people as they enter the ER waiting room. That will help. But they'll quickly run out of them.

If people did it right, they would give the kids the flu shots, not so much the adults..

[readmoreoften]

27. Oh noes!

This is certainly a reasonable course of action. There is nothing wrong with making medicine available in the event of an outbreak.

[Baby Snooks]

28. It is now unofficially a pandemic...

Suspected cases are being reported in Europe and the Middle East. All it took was one passenger on one plane. Although of course in reality there were probably several passengers on several planes.

Hopefully this will not mutate into a more deadly strain although even a 6% fatality rate should warrant more than just warnings from our government. Everyone must show up at work and school tomorrow. Just don't breathe. That seems to be the advice of our government.

[caseymoz]

40. Masks are pretty effective according to what I've read. nt.

[iandhr]

32. man there taking this seriously

[caseymoz]

39. I don't know. Flu, high death rate, unseasonable outbreak, uncontainable, in multiple states?

That sounds serious to me.

I guess one of those facts could be wrong. Like it could be that health officials have panicked and begun to report cases that really aren't the Swine Flu. Or the occurrences might be going down instead of up as they have been reported, in which case we could wait till October.

We shouldn't let fear of panic stop us from taking effective action.

[winyanstaz]

33. We are soooooooooo lucky to have Tamiflu!! It just happens to work..

on this newest avian, pig, people soup they have going around....and Rummy is sooooo lucky to have bought so much stock in Tamiflu! Along with the rest of the Neocons. :) My...how nice. :)

[caseymoz]

41. I'm shocked! Swift, rational action by our President? After Bush . . .

I halfway expected to hear that Obama would be on vacation until Friday, with pictures of him playing an accordian. Because . . . the Decider must never show panic.

Feels good to have a president and not a Decider in office.

[McCamy Taylor]

43. It's past time they approved Sebelius.